Calls From Basic Training

[VonMessa]

Heh.. I live with my phone glued to me these days.  Grey.. you know I don't get a lot of details in our 15 minutes a week.  So far I've got he's in the top percentile of the physical parts but he's still struggling with the folding etc.. He'll get it.  He's smarter and way more self disciplined than his old man.

Pretty cool aside.  Last I hosted his best friends BD party here (no problem they're all my 'adopted kids') and it came out that a bunch of his friends are planning on heading down the only day he gets his off base pass after graduation.

Got to be honest I was both touched and proud. 

Wait til you attend his graduation 

[ebfd11]

WTG and yes when you attend his graduation it is something to behold. When I graduated from boot camp at Parris Island my parents were not able to attend but my uncle who was in the Army at the time made a special trip down. Funny part is when he showed up he was in uniform and before I got a handshake from him, I had to salute him, he was a 1st Lt. at the time. He said he has gone to many a graduation and he is thrilled everytime he goes to one. But the feeling from your sons point of view is going to be memorable.

Give him a hearty handshake from me and tell him thank you from a former Marine, I am proud of him and i don't even know him personally except from here.

LawnDart

[clerick]

next time he calls, ask if they still play that dang "letters from war" song at church. EVERYBODY would bawl during that song. I heard it a few years later and teared up LOL.

[Dichotomy]

will do Lwn and Clerick..

He did tell me a couple of weeks ago that he was doing KP and they had these protein bars he could eat if he wanted.  He overdid it with the expected results.  I laughed hard at him.

[Shifty]

Back in my day they really didn't make a big effort to include families in Graduation Day. So even though mine was in San Antonio and my family was in Dallas nobody came. I don't recall a single person in my flight who had any family members in attendance. Now it seems all branches do a very good job of including families in Graduation Day. I went to Ft Sill for my oldest son Travis and Ft Knox for my son Thomas. Both were well worth the trip and I really enjoyed all the Army did on both occasions to highlight what the young soldiers had accomplished. You'll love it Dicho. 

[clerick]

will do Lwn and Clerick..

He did tell me a couple of weeks ago that he was doing KP and they had these protein bars he could eat if he wanted.  He overdid it with the expected results.  I laughed hard at him.

Me and my element were often requested for KP. We did a great job and got to eat like kings for a day. Most guys only do it once, maybe twice during BMT, we did it 5. It was great. Long days but you got food, didn't have to goto hours of class nor PT in 95 degree weather. More importantly, unless we really screwed up (which we didn't) we were treated like human beings for a day. Even the officers would joke and and have a good time. I remember being present as an MTI ripped into a new guy, after he was done, he turned to me, screamed at me because I was the next closest trainee. I kept my bearing and he gave me a wink and a grin when he was done putting on his show. KP reminded me of that scene in Shawshank Redemption where they had a brief moment of sanity while they drank beer on the roof.